Prison Employment Lead (PEL) in Doncaster

Job Overview

HMPPS have invested significantly in a variety of activities that give prisoners the opportunity to develop work skills and gain experience. Employment is managed as part of the Education, Training and Employment pathway, which alongside Finance, Benefit and Debt and a range of support services, provides prisoners with the skills and knowledge to live a law‑abiding life after leaving prison. A key aspect of this service is to support prison leavers into meaningful, sustained employment on release by working with employers in the community. The New Futures Network (NFN) is a national network of employment brokers and industry leads, who work to establish relationships with a range of sector‑based employers. The specific aim is to increase the number of prison leavers entering into employment on release. In order for these employers to benefit from the potential labour pool that exists within Prisons in England and Wales, it is essential that work‑ready candidates are identified pre‑release. The role of the Prison Employment Lead (PEL) is to identify work‑ready prisoners and match them to jobs through face‑to‑face interventions.

Key Responsibilities

• Identifying work‑ready candidates.
• Referring prisoners to work readiness support.
• Matching work‑ready candidates to suitable vacancies supplied by the New Futures Network, DWP and other employment.
• Engage with stakeholders within the prison to establish a system that identifies work‑ready prisoners and highlights actions needed to support prisoners to achieve work readiness.
• Work with prison staff and DWP Prison Work Coaches to match work‑ready candidates to job opportunities from the New Futures Network (NFN), DWP Employment Advisers and National Employer and Partnership Team.
• Support contracted IAG and Education providers to ensure the prison induction process properly:
• Promotes employment, education and skills training opportunities to prisoners upon arrival at the prison.
• Effectively captures information relating to prisoner education, work experience and skills.
• Encourages prisoners to develop personal and social skills that improve employability.
• Manage an Employment Hub which centralises employment support services within the prison and promotes live vacancies to prison leavers within the resettlement period.
• Champion innovations in employment and industry focused recruitment practices, such as hospitality / construction drives etc.
• Work in partnership with the Prison's Strategic Employment Advisory Boards to improve systems that support prisoners to develop employability, ensuring they meet commercial needs / standards of employers.
• Contribute to the Local Partnership Agreement (LPA) with DWP detailing the responsibilities of the PEL, Prison Work Coaches and DWP Employment Advisers and how they will work together at the prison.
• Organise regular opportunities for NFN, DWP and other stakeholders to bring employers into the prison and facilitate prisoner forums.
• Work in partnership with Community Offender Management (COM) to ensure prison leaver information is supplied to relevant agencies post release in order to remove duplication.
• Liaise with COM to ensure prison leavers who require further support on release are signposted to Education, Training and Employment Commissioned Rehabilitative Services (CRS) who can continue to support them on their journey towards meaningful, sustained employment.

Experience Required

• Experience of working with senior officials.
• Experience of working across stakeholder groups and other Government Departments and excellent influencing skills, showing the ability to deal effectively with conflict and deliver objectives.
• Has experience of setting goals and achieving targets.
• Has commercial experience and an understanding of contract management.
• Has previous experience / understanding of recruitment processes / legislation (desirable).

Abilities

• Ability to engage at Local and Regional Management level.
• Ability to work in partnership with NFN Managers, communicating strategy and priorities to providers and stakeholders.
• Resilience under pressure, ability to articulate and defend decisions on behalf of HMPPS.
• Strong written and excellent verbal and non‑verbal communication skills.
• Strong team building and working skills.

Security Checks & Eligibility

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.

All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation.

Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.

All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist.

Working Hours, Contract Type and Location

Standard full‑time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid.

HMPPS welcomes part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS' Flexible Working policy.

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non‑contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office